Written by the reviewer from the ASR + docket; [verbatim-ASR] = quoted machine transcript; [paraphrase] = reviewer's wording, not a quote.
0:00 All right, we will call Committee of the Whole to order.
0:10 I'll move to approve the minutes of the December 5th meeting without the necessity of a reading.
0:17 Motion's been made and seconded.
0:22 And that motion passes.
0:25 Item tonight is Resolution 2025-77 to appoint an applicant to the Ward 4 seat.
0:33 We have four candidates here this evening to talk with us.
0:38 And I'll just say that I see three of them so far.
0:42 And as I mentioned, you can either, when you come up, you can either sit or stand, whatever
0:47 We'll try to make it as comfortable as possible.
0:49 I know it's kind of awkward to be looking up at us, but we do that so that we can
0:53 be in the room with the cameras so we can record and folks can watch at home.
0:58 Okay, so first up we have Pixie Mallow.
1:02 Am I saying that right, Mallow or Mallow?
1:06 Okay, so come on up.
1:08 Whichever place you'd like.
1:10 All right, so welcome and thanks for applying.
1:25 So we'll just go through a little bit here.
1:29 So applying for the Ward 4 council seat, this would be for the remainder of the term,
1:36 so it would be about two years on that.
1:38 Remaining, we typically meet on Monday nights, so the first and third Monday are full council meetings,
1:45 with the other Mondays being committee meetings.
1:48 Typically start, could be as early as 530, can go until the business is done.
1:55 But it could be on other nights as well.
1:59 Council members estimate that they spend about 20 to 25 hours per week on council business.
2:06 That could be responding to constituents via email, meeting with folks, going out in the community, etc.
2:12 But of course, some people spend more.
2:15 So knowing all that, with that being said, do you feel like you'd be able to meet the obligations of the office?
2:23 All right, so with that out of the way, let me get in here.
2:28 So my first question that I usually ask everyone is just if you could tell us a little bit about how you've been engaged in the Lakewood community.
2:39 So I haven't been here long, but it was the first town that I really felt home and welcome and safe.
2:47 So I really love this place.
2:49 And so my son does Lakewood soccer, so I've helped out with that a lot.
2:55 I do help with Hunger Food Network, you know, collecting food and giving it to the homeless.
3:05 Yeah, outside of that, within Lakewood specifically, that's about it.
3:13 I forgot that we were going to give you an opportunity for an opening statement, and I skipped right past that.
3:18 I apologize about that.
3:19 I just realized right after I asked you that.
3:21 So if you have an opening statement for us you'd like to give, you're welcome to do that.
3:30 So thank you for having me here and Lakewood Council and fellow competition, or I mean applicants.
3:42 Yeah, like I said, I haven't been in Lakewood long, but when I first got here I really felt so welcome and so at home and so safe.
3:51 And I plan on being here a very long time, you know, fingers crossed.
3:56 And I just really felt like I wanted to give that back and, you know, and fight for those that don't have a voice.
4:04 That's something I've always been passionate about.
4:07 I'm especially a transgender person and with everything going on recently I've had a lot of friends that have gone into hiding and, you know,
4:16 social clubs that have, you know, reduced their activity and stuff for that.
4:22 And I just want to be a person that is like, no, and steps forward and does something, I guess.
4:30 And with Studio West closing, that one hurt a lot.
4:36 That was a home for me.
4:39 And that's where I first came out and slowly started coming out as who I am now.
4:44 And with, you know, being a Lakewood City Council person for Ward 4, I really want to be a part of that conversation for that,
4:52 to try to keep it in the LGBTQ community.
4:56 Yeah, and then outside of that I do have, you know, experience in multiple facets of life.
5:02 I grew up in a town of 600 people in middle of nowhere on a farm learning work ethic.
5:08 You know, I was in the military. I was a veteran.
5:10 So I'm very intimate with, you know, working with government in that aspect.
5:15 I was deployed overseas for about a year and a half in the Middle East.
5:20 And yeah, and then I love to travel and I've met all sorts of people internationally and within the United States.
5:26 And I just love humans.
5:29 I've always lived by the motto of if you give people the chance to let them show you kindness, they will.
5:36 And I've always seen that and always try to put that foot forward.
5:43 Also, I brought baked goods. That's what I'm going to name for it.
5:46 But it's not a bribe. They're just there.
5:50 They're for everyone, right? They're for members of the public here as well. Yes, of course. Thank you.
5:56 All right. I'm going to move next to Vice President Baker.
6:01 Thank you so much for coming and putting yourself out there to everyone.
6:07 One thing I, you know, so every time and, you know, colleagues have to move on and that's life.
6:12 But I always lament to my colleagues up here that, you know, this is the hardest decisions we make.
6:18 But you would have two years. So if you were appointed this term, you have two years before the term was up.
6:24 So what do you think you could accomplish in two years?
6:27 And then related to that, and it may be related to this, is like, what do you think the biggest issue in Ward four is?
6:33 And do you think you could help with that in that two years?
6:36 Okay. Yeah. Okay. So I bring up my notes app because that one I'm very passionate about and I have a list.
6:42 So I try to memorize and keep them all straight. I was like, I need a list for that.
6:47 So one of the ones, though, I do know that I could probably accomplish within the two years is somehow updating the communication or just the way it's handled with like people submitting for speed bumps.
7:04 Because I have submitted for that multiple times. I've never even heard a peep from it.
7:09 Not even like, hey, we've received your thingy and we'll reach out to you as soon as we can.
7:14 So it was just pure silence on that.
7:18 And another one that I know I can accomplish within the two years is for the food festivals.
7:23 I bet Madison Park had been there a few times for that one.
7:27 And it's in the summer, you know, just given.
7:30 But it's extremely hot and there's no shade and a lot of people struggle for shade.
7:34 And we're all trying to huddle underneath this one tree.
7:37 So we could do cooling stations, water stations, you know, tents for shade, something along those lines, especially with a lot of people like have dogs, little kids and stuff like that.
7:47 And it's just too hot.
7:50 And then and then obviously within the two years, well, because a lot of LGBT nonprofits and of the such are scrambling really quick to try to talk about Studio West.
8:05 And that's something that's going to happen like really quick.
8:08 So being a part of that conversation and discussing alternatives, I keep commenting on every time I see it that Twist should take it over because they would be very well at taking it over.
8:19 And it would be a great expansion for them.
8:21 But that's just a discussion we would have with all the groups and conduct the best plan for that and whether or not that's something they would even want to do.
8:33 Another one that I'm thinking about that I could do is like a social media series about the resources within Lakewood because it's like even me like an outside person coming in.
8:45 It's hard to see where all the resources are and get on the website and everything.
8:50 We could even make like a scavenger hunt, you know, like if you go to this resource or if you go to this web page or you go, well, here's a little voucher or something to like just to get engagement with the resources within Lakewood and get more people information about them.
9:07 Because you don't know if something pertains to you, if there's even a resource for it, if something does is going on in your life.
9:14 So that is something that we could do within the two years.
9:19 And yeah, I'll stop there because I could go on forever.
9:26 That's got a lot of work to do.
9:33 Councilmember Bullitt, do you want to go next?
9:39 Pardon me. Thanks, Madam Chair.
9:42 Pixie, welcome and thank you for your service.
9:45 By the way, you've put in a lot of years in public service in the form of U.S. military service.
9:51 So I want to acknowledge that as well as a lot of your excellent business experience.
9:56 So for me, I want to talk about neighborhood level needs and issues in Ward 4, which is something in particular because all seven of us represent the city.
10:10 But the ward council person tends to get a lot of the day to day first and then those of us who are at large play a little bit of a backup role or we tag team.
10:22 But often the ward council person will kind of be considered the lead.
10:27 And so to me, understanding the neighborhood is important.
10:32 So that's the preface to my question.
10:35 And also, by the way, I hope this formal, this is like the Iran-Contra inquiry here, you know, where were you and what did you know?
10:43 I think we're here, Madam Chair, because the audiovisual is the best here so we can be most public access.
10:51 But we want to be friendly here.
10:52 So thank you for tolerating that.
10:55 So could you identify some Ward 4 neighborhood level needs or issues and share your thoughts on possible improvements that you might want to pursue?
11:04 Maybe you covered some of that already.
11:07 I mean, like I said, I got a whole list so I can go on different ones.
11:12 And one of the things, because you mentioned small business and seems passionate about something for you and something for me as well.
11:19 So maybe we can connect on that.
11:21 So for Ward 4, I feel like small businesses don't get as much of a spotlight as the rest of the wards in Lakewood, you know,
11:29 because the Ward 1, 2, or even 3 are kind of like the heart of Lakewood.
11:34 And Ward 4 is kind of over here, near like Far End, West 117th.
11:39 So we could, something with social media, start a series on highlighting them.
11:46 Maybe even put a task force together or ideas about smaller festivals or events to have in Ward 4 instead of always having them in one or two or in downtown.
11:58 To highlight the businesses within Ward 4.
12:01 And I know the food festival is in Madison Park.
12:04 But yeah, we do have a beautiful park in Ward 4 that we utilize a lot more for activities and festivals and bring more of those businesses.
12:11 I did go to the night market, which was really beautiful, but that was a little bit a part of Ward 4 as well.
12:17 So yeah, that and yeah, I think that's one of the main ones.
12:25 Oh, the other one I was going to talk about is kind of having like a coalition or discussion with the environmental groups and the city of Lakewood about protecting the trees.
12:36 I know we put out trees every year and we hand them out.
12:39 But every spring I stand outside my door because I have on my street specifically, there's beautiful big, big trees that provide beautiful shade in the summer.
12:48 And it's just so gorgeous.
12:50 But I know they have to come and trim them every year due for electrical lines, which is understandable.
12:55 But maybe they don't have to go as hard as they do and not remove as many trees as they do.
13:00 So every year, every spring, I'm standing at my window.
13:02 Please don't touch my tree. Please don't touch my tree.
13:05 So yeah, I think that would be a very important one as well, because I feel like I'm probably not the only one that feels that way.
13:11 Thank you. And by the way, I love the K-pop demon hunter reference in your cover letter.
13:16 I got a kid who was mad about it. Yeah.
13:19 A huge fan. Me and my son both.
13:26 Thank you. And I'd like to echo Councilman Bullock's thank yous for serving in our military. Greatly appreciate that.
13:35 And while I'm very interested to hear about your plans for Lakewood, I really want to talk about you.
13:43 Can you tell me why you want to be on City Council and what serving on City Council will do for you personally?
13:50 And if you have any future plans to stay in politics or to go anywhere with that?
13:57 Yeah. So being a part of, I wouldn't say government per se, but like part of the public and helping out the public in that way.
14:06 And just volunteering has always been a part of my life ever since I kid.
14:10 I was helping my mom with church events when I was a little kid.
14:15 In middle school, I created the school's first recycling program.
14:20 And when I was a senior, I went to Boys State, tried to run for governor, fell just short.
14:26 But I found out later the person who won was buying the votes.
14:30 So, yeah. So, but yeah.
14:34 And then I've helped organize protests and I've participated in a lot of them.
14:38 There was a small handful of us that helped get the doctors for abortions ballot on the initiative on the ballot with that.
14:50 And it's just been ingrained in me and who I am fighting for people who don't have a voice and fighting for those humans.
14:58 And so it's always been something I've wanted to do.
15:03 And like I said, I've had all that and like, you know, help organizing.
15:07 And I've been a part of the government and military.
15:10 And I was always thinking, like, what would be the next step?
15:12 And then I saw this open up and I was like, that was like the biggest sign from the universe you could ever get.
15:18 I was like, that's perfect.
15:20 So, but yeah, if I don't get it, yeah, I will 100 percent continue to move forward and see what other avenues I can do and bring myself forward for those.
15:31 Thank you. Thank you.
15:34 All right. How about Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner?
15:41 Thank you so much for being here.
15:43 It was only last year that I was in the same position as you are in interviewing for the council seat that I am now sitting in.
15:52 So I understand exactly what you're feeling and how you're feeling and this process.
15:57 So congratulations for taking a step through what you call the door opening for you.
16:06 So the question that I have deals with, you know, word for word.
16:11 And it is one of and I'm sure you are aware of this, but it is one of the most economically, culturally, ethnically, racially and social economically diverse words of the city.
16:21 Can you please share how you will manage and balance the diverse and sometimes competing needs and interests of the ward?
16:31 Yeah, I really love that question because, you know, people look at me and they probably just see me as a beacon for one thing.
16:39 And like I've stated, I've held I've been in contact and been in many places in my life and many places in the world dealing with all sorts of people.
16:50 And to me, like I said, if you enter the conversation with listening first to what they want, because they most people just want to be heard.
17:00 Even if they're like screaming at you, yelling at you, they're coming from a place of maybe they didn't get heard the first four times.
17:09 And now they've reached this point and they just want to be heard.
17:12 So listening first and coming in with kindness, taking a pause so they know so they feel like you've considered what they've just said.
17:20 And then going from there and developing a plan and answer or developing an action plan together.
17:27 That's what I've always done. I'm a gentle but firm management style.
17:33 I always love to develop people into possibly taking my role or into helping them go to their next step.
17:40 I always found that so beautiful to have that because like I was a GM of a Wendy's and I kind of developed a supervisor to like eventually take my spot as the GM.
17:53 And they did. And it was just so beautiful leaving that to know that they're there and they're moving forward in their life.
18:00 So yeah, that's I think how I'd handle that.
18:04 And yeah. And so like when I was overseas too, like even like communicating with people in different languages that you don't even speak or understand, there are basic things you can still come together and accomplish the goal at the end of the day.
18:20 And that, you know, I was working on an airfield in Italy and the main guys that run the field were Italian.
18:29 I didn't know Italian, but we just like, you know, and just communicate.
18:34 And at the end of the day, we would go get food and call it, you know, a hard day's work and universal language of food.
18:39 So, yeah. Thank you.
18:44 And last but not least, Councilman Brevens. Thank you, Madam Chair.
18:48 Thanks for being here.
18:50 Similar to Angelina. It wasn't so long that I was on that side of this equation.
18:54 So I know it takes a lot to put yourself out there.
18:58 You managed to kind of touch on both my question and my backup question.
19:02 So I'll shift a little bit.
19:05 You talked about management style.
19:06 Can you talk about how you interact with coworkers?
19:08 You know, what does that look like?
19:09 What kind of, how do you go about trying to like build consensus or solve problems or things like that?
19:19 So that one I would, I love to answer because I have a very, very recent explanation of that.
19:28 So at my work, I work for PNC and I work in their back office.
19:33 And I just got put on a project for revamping this program that they're using currently because the old system is going to get decommissioned.
19:44 And so we're just in this group together and we're trying to figure this out.
19:51 And there's this miscommunication happening.
19:53 And this team is, well, this is what we think we should do.
19:57 And this team is like, well, this is how we use it.
20:00 And we use it different than you.
20:03 So again, I think it just comes back to like there's all this, for lack of a better term, like clucking going on.
20:09 And like, no, we're not really getting anywhere.
20:12 So someone has to step in with that, again, gentle but firmness, be like, OK, so I hear you.
20:18 What do you guys think of this as an option?
20:22 And would that help both of you come to the conclusion that would work best for both of you?
20:28 And then put it in their hands and then they can come back and say, yeah, we agree with that or no, we don't at all.
20:34 And let's go back to the drawing board.
20:36 So but at least someone has taken a step forward to like let's have this in a production conversation and not just a conversation to have a conversation.
20:49 We have just a little bit of time.
20:51 I wondered if there's anything else.
20:55 I'll let you do your closing statement in a moment, too.
20:57 But if there's anything else you want to highlight in terms of your skills or experience or other things that you feel like you could bring to the table.
21:07 Yeah, I mean, I covered most of it.
21:10 But like I said, I have been intimate with working in government.
21:17 In high school, too, like we went to state for parliamentary procedure.
21:22 I love parliamentary procedure.
21:23 So, you know, I'd be a little rusty, but I would understand what's going on.
21:28 So with that as well and just advocating for people that don't have a voice as well is something I'm extremely passionate about.
21:38 I've had a friend who was trans commit suicide.
21:41 I've had a couple of friends in the military as well that were very dear to me.
21:46 And I just want to advocate for them as well.
21:49 So I just want to say that I know people like I said, people look at me and probably think I'm just a beacon for one thing.
21:55 But if they have a conversation with me, they'll find out that I've been many things and have seen many things and I will understand where you're coming from.
22:09 I don't know if you had a chance to look, but if if if you're not successful with the appointment, would you be interested in serving in any other boards or commissions for the city?
22:19 Do you have any particular ones in mind?
22:22 I'll top my head and you know, LGBTQ, anti-racism, tax force, environmentalism.
22:30 Whenever you're ready.
22:31 Council members, anyone else have any follow up questions?
22:36 Whenever you're ready, if you want to do your closing statement.
22:38 Yeah, I just want to say thank you for having me.
22:42 And this has been a great honor to speak with all of you and all of you fellow applicants as well.
22:52 And I just love, love, love Lakewood and my son loves it and high probability of him going to Lakewood High School as well.
22:59 So, you know, I want to be a big advocate for that education system as well.
23:04 And and I'll just say it because it wasn't mentioned, surprisingly, affordability.
23:11 So affordable housing, you know, somehow I didn't mention that till now.
23:16 That's interesting.
23:17 But yeah, in advocating for that as well and other smaller but bigger ticket items.
23:25 Nothing's too small.
23:26 Everything matters to everyone.
23:27 You know, even, you know, it may seem small, like I said, like, you know, the tree or the speed bumps all the way up to.
23:33 Advocating for LGBTQ people, veterans or anyone else and all their everything that matters to them matters to me.
23:44 Thank you so much for coming in.
23:48 And you're welcome to stay or you can go.
23:49 It won't affect the decision at all.
23:53 Yes, but leave the goodies.
23:59 So next we have Jason Frederick.
24:02 Jason, we were a little ahead of schedule.
24:05 So if you want to sit for four minutes, you can or you can come on.
24:08 Let's get this right.
24:10 People have places to be.
24:11 Hello to the clerical staff.
24:14 Did you want to go for it?
24:15 Do you go first or do I go first?
24:16 I do my little spiel about the.
24:18 Well, would you like to do your opening statement first?
24:23 Why don't we do that since it's an opening statement?
24:25 I only want to say briefly, thank you so very much for having me out here.
24:30 This process I think is fantastic.
24:32 I feel very privileged to have been invited down in such great company of
24:36 the other applicants, but also, you know,
24:38 public comments is usually limited to five minutes to get 30 minutes in
24:42 front of the legislative body of the town that you live in is not lost on
24:46 me on how special that is.
24:47 So I'm just, I feel extremely lucky to be standing here right now.
24:50 So that's really all I have to say.
24:55 And we really do appreciate putting yourself out there and,
24:58 and applying into everyone to do that.
25:00 As mentioned, four of us up here were originally appointees.
25:04 So we know what it's like to go, go through this.
25:10 But we'll try to be friendly and encouraging.
25:14 So you heard my spiel a little bit.
25:15 So, you know, council meets on Monday nights, typically.
25:19 First and third Mondays are full council meetings.
25:22 We have committee meetings,
25:23 usually the same night as that often the other Mondays,
25:26 sometimes additional days council members.
25:30 Estimate they spend 20 to 25 hours a week on council business.
25:34 Some of us more, some people might be less given all of that.
25:39 Do you feel like you'd be able to meet the obligations of the
25:43 I've given it quite a bit of thought and yes, absolutely.
25:47 I'd like to cut out a little more time actually,
25:49 to try to get out more time on the weekends to,
25:52 to engage with the constituents where I've given the chance to
25:57 become a representative.
26:00 It'll, it'll, it'll take as many hours as you give it.
26:02 That's kind of the feeling that I was getting.
26:06 I was run in by the family.
26:09 So my question that I just start with is if you can tell us a
26:12 little bit about your engagement with the Lakewood community.
26:17 Oh, I'm I've been in volunteering at the city on a couple of
26:22 different boards and commissions for a while.
26:24 Last three, four years now.
26:27 I've just been trying to learn everything I possibly can about
26:30 Lakewood for myself, also to my kids to sort of explain to
26:33 them how things work.
26:35 I had to figure out how they worked first.
26:38 So I was very lucky that I was invited to be part of the
26:41 community relations advisory commission.
26:44 And then I got to be a council person rater.
26:47 And that was been a fantastic experience.
26:53 I'm still on that board.
26:54 I was just re appointed, which you know,
26:56 because you appointed me and the welcome to Lakewood event.
27:00 We've got to start getting going again.
27:02 And we've got to get the, the diversity potluck going again.
27:07 I love those events.
27:08 I get to talk to hundreds of people who live in this town.
27:12 And that's really my favorite part about being on the
27:14 community relations advisory commission.
27:16 I wish we could do more, frankly,
27:18 and make more recommendations to you folks.
27:21 But that's another story.
27:23 I'm also volunteering on the public art advisory board,
27:26 which I am the vice chair of.
27:28 We've just come off our most successful,
27:31 the most successful project that I was a part of,
27:34 which was the traffic boxes, like, you know,
27:38 I think we're getting more money to do more of those,
27:40 which is extremely exciting.
27:41 Again, I expected there'd be some sort of pushback or somebody
27:44 who thought that was a bad idea or thought something was ugly.
27:47 As far as I know, it's been a hundred percent thumbs up and,
27:52 So I'm really proud of that.
27:54 I was recently been appointed to the anti-racism task force.
27:59 And I've only been to two meetings,
28:01 but I'm trying to get up to speed on all the challenges and
28:04 complications that they are facing as they try to,
28:07 you know, accomplish their mandates.
28:12 I also just kind of on a whim,
28:14 I joined the citizens police academy,
28:17 which I am a graduate, which was fascinating.
28:20 Did you know that there's a firing range downstairs?
28:22 A lot of people don't know that.
28:26 It's pretty wicked.
28:27 I didn't get to use it.
28:28 I didn't get to use it.
28:29 I don't own any guns,
28:30 but they got some stuff down there, 30.6.
28:33 Anyway, but also, you know,
28:36 I got to see the bomb squad.
28:37 I got to see the drones.
28:39 I got to meet that Attila, the dog.
28:42 Officer Ortiz is rad.
28:44 Sheriff Fisher, not Sheriff, Chief Fisher, rather, pardon me.
28:48 It was a very interesting individual.
28:50 Great conversationalist.
28:52 Fan of Dewey's pizza, as I am as well.
28:55 these are the people in your neighborhood kind of stuff.
28:59 And short of that, you know,
29:00 volunteering with the kids sports and,
29:02 and just trying to pitch in wherever I can.
29:07 But yeah, that's about it.
29:09 That's the only, in any sort of official capacity,
29:12 those are the main ones.
29:14 It can be official or unofficial,
29:15 but just generally engaged with it.
29:17 So that was a good answer.
29:18 I try to walk everywhere and say hi to people
29:20 as I see them on the street.
29:23 I literally, anyway.
29:27 I promised I wouldn't ramble.
29:29 You're doing great.
29:32 Vice President Baker.
29:34 Thank you for putting yourself out here.
29:37 You know, as President Keppel mentioned,
29:39 I was there once as well.
29:40 Seems like a long time ago.
29:44 And also being a youth coach is a lot of work.
29:49 I never became an actual coach.
29:50 I would just show up at practices
29:52 and get hit with baseballs
29:53 and run around and try to fix stuff.
29:55 I just kind of pitched in wherever I could.
29:58 there's a lot of people who know more about
29:59 a lot more about baseball than I did.
30:00 I just wanted to, you know,
30:01 be an extra pair of hands.
30:04 That is very helpful.
30:05 So don't minimize that.
30:07 But I'll ask you a similar question,
30:09 as I'll ask most or everyone who comes up,
30:13 when I was appointed, you get two years,
30:15 less than two years, actually,
30:17 about 20 months to kind of hit the ground running
30:19 and figure out what you can do,
30:21 what you can try to accomplish in that time
30:23 before you would either have to seek reelection or not.
30:28 kind of how would you spend that 22 months
30:31 and what are some issues you think
30:33 that are unique to Ward 4 that you could tackle?
30:35 And they might be unique to the city generally
30:37 or unique to Ward 4,
30:38 so I'm just curious as to how you view that.
30:40 Yeah, when I saw that you were going to ask me
30:42 about my visions for Lakewood,
30:43 I started blue-skying it,
30:45 like what are the big things?
30:51 which are kind of big in a way as well,
30:55 are, in Ward 4 specifically,
30:57 there seems to be a lot of division.
30:59 I mean, diversity is the word we use broadly for it,
31:02 but people seem to be categorized here or there
31:06 or in some other category
31:09 and not seeing each other as all Lakewoodites.
31:13 So I would, in the short term, in two years,
31:16 I probably could put together
31:18 either listening sessions or town halls.
31:21 I mean, Dan O'Malley used to do it.
31:23 I think Cindy has done it.
31:25 Cindy Marks did it a couple of times.
31:27 You may have missed them,
31:29 but getting people together
31:31 to talk about their experiences in Ward 4.
31:35 I live on a street with a lot of MAGA people
31:37 who their big complaint is
31:39 that they're not being listened to,
31:41 which I disagree with,
31:42 but maybe having some sort of forum
31:45 where they can come yell at me instead of you
31:48 might be a good thing.
31:49 That might be a way to get to some sort of understanding
31:52 of why on earth they would support
31:53 the current administration in Washington,
31:55 which I genuinely do not understand,
31:58 but some people do or die for it,
32:01 and they're my neighbors,
32:02 and they're good neighbors.
32:04 They mow their lawn.
32:06 They take in their garbage.
32:07 They turn the music off at 930,
32:11 so how do you get people together
32:14 that don't mix naturally?
32:17 You have to find common grounds,
32:19 and I think about this a lot, actually.
32:21 How do you find common ground between people
32:23 who genuinely don't think
32:26 that they have anything in common with anybody else,
32:29 and it's hard to find.
32:31 I have found two areas, though.
32:33 Dogs, people who are hell-bent for Donald Epstein
32:37 and really into the Democratic Party,
32:40 they all seem to have a shared love of dogs,
32:44 so if we could advocate for,
32:47 and I doubt it could happen in two years,
32:49 but a new dog park in the Ward 4 area
32:53 where people who genuinely would not mix otherwise
32:57 could end up maybe seeing each other
32:59 as just a bunch of dog owners
33:01 as opposed to on one side
33:03 or the other side of the political spectrum.
33:08 the other area where I feel
33:10 as though people have overlap is anger.
33:12 That's another thing that really brings people together.
33:15 Over on Thoreau, I lived over there for a year.
33:17 My family was in temporary housing,
33:19 and I had a unique opportunity
33:21 to hear out of one side of the apartment
33:23 a bunch of people who were bemoaning
33:25 the Harris Walls campaign,
33:27 but over here, there'd be a party
33:29 that was bemoaning the Donald Epstein ilk,
33:33 but they were all furious about the construction
33:35 that's going on next to the railroad track,
33:38 so if we had a forum about that,
33:41 we could bring people together there,
33:43 and we could plant little seeds
33:45 of love and understanding in that smoke screen.
33:48 That would be an interesting thing.
33:50 I could probably put that together,
33:52 but those would be smaller community-based
33:58 I would love to see larger endeavors happen,
34:01 but I wouldn't fool myself into thinking
34:03 that I could get that done
34:05 in the remainder of Cindy's term.
34:12 I'm going to switch it up
34:14 this way this time,
34:16 and then come back around.
34:18 Councilmember Evans,
34:20 so we don't steal your question again.
34:22 I'll use my back after.
34:26 Thanks for being here.
34:28 It was a pleasure working
34:30 with the Public Advisory Board.
34:32 Yes, Public Advisory Board.
34:34 He was involved in the project.
34:36 And was involved in the fact
34:38 that we're getting more money
34:40 to do more of them, I believe.
34:42 More money this year,
34:44 so we're in good shape.
34:46 One thing I've learned
34:48 in my public service
34:50 is that things take time.
34:52 That's a good lesson
34:54 to have learned before getting up here.
34:58 That's been driven home.
35:00 I'll ask the same question
35:02 I asked the first time.
35:04 Just talk a little bit
35:06 about your work style,
35:08 how you work with other folks,
35:10 and your experiences among people,
35:12 specifically in a work environment.
35:14 In my work environment,
35:16 I try to get to yes
35:18 by listening as hard as I can
35:20 and having no ego in it.
35:22 A job needs to get done.
35:24 I don't really care
35:30 so long as everyone's happy,
35:32 and I'm happy when the job gets done.
35:34 Because we're all on the same side.
35:36 We're all trying to get
35:38 in the context of my profession.
35:40 I'm an artist and illustrator
35:44 and there have been times
35:46 in my life where I was just ready
35:48 to fight for the squirrel with the earring
35:50 when they wanted the squirrel with the pool cue.
35:56 got the idea that gets us
35:58 over the finish line.
36:00 I just want to get over the finish line
36:02 in first place and under budget
36:04 and ahead of schedule, if possible.
36:06 I don't want to compromise
36:20 And I rule with an iron fist.
36:22 All right, Councilwoman Hamilton-Steiner.
36:26 I was trying to think how I can rework
36:28 my question because I think he answered
36:30 a little bit, but I want to
36:32 dig in perhaps a little bit
36:34 on what you had talked about
36:36 when you were talking about
36:38 the division in Ward 4.
36:40 And we frame it as diversity, right?
36:42 So you are correct. Ward 4
36:44 is probably the most economically,
36:46 culturally, ethically, racially,
36:48 and socioeconomically diverse
36:50 wards of this city.
36:52 And there are people that
36:54 believe that I don't
36:56 have a right to exist, that I'm not.
36:58 They're equal. There are people
37:02 would like to see the elimination
37:06 people in our community, including one of
37:12 I guess my question is, maybe you
37:14 can talk a little bit about
37:16 how you, as a Ward 4 city
37:20 would manage and balance
37:22 all of this diversity
37:28 that is coming as a result
37:34 First thing I'd like to talk about is that word.
37:38 millions of dollars spent on think tanks
37:40 to turn that word into a negative
37:42 for 30% of the country,
37:44 whatever the percentage is. The idea that
37:46 diversity, equity, and inclusion is somehow
37:50 ruffles my feathers,
37:52 considering that diversity, equity,
37:54 and inclusion are all good things. I mean,
37:56 we need inclusion. What's the opposite of inclusion?
38:00 the opposite of equity?
38:02 What is the opposite of diversity?
38:04 Homogeneity? We need to have diversity.
38:06 It's absolutely imperative
38:08 to a society or to a gene pool.
38:10 We need diversity for the same reason
38:12 we don't marry our cousins.
38:16 to understand that we all come from
38:18 different places, but we're all the same,
38:20 like there's genuinely
38:22 almost no difference between
38:26 gender. Like biologically speaking,
38:28 they always throw out this biological
38:30 this, biologically that. Biologically,
38:32 there's no difference between
38:34 me and you or me and him. We're all
38:38 So how do you tackle that? I don't
38:40 know, unfortunately, is the answer
38:44 trying to not meet anger
38:46 with anger and trying to meet
38:54 know how to do it, but there has to be a way
39:00 I don't know the answer to that question,
39:02 but it's something I think about all the time.
39:10 Something, I mean, there was a time
39:12 a lot of people don't
39:14 share common experiences
39:16 these days. There were times when everyone
39:18 was going to one or another church
39:20 or they'd all be at the same movie theater
39:22 or something, but we're all compartmentalized.
39:24 We're at home watching television. You
39:26 walk down Alameda, all the houses
39:28 have got huge televisions on. They're all watching
39:30 different stuff, but they're all doing the same thing
39:32 separately. So I don't know how
39:34 to bring people together, but I think about it
39:36 all the time. There has to be an answer. I just don't know
39:38 exactly what it is, but
39:40 it drives me crazy, the idea
39:44 queer folk or LGBTQ
39:46 or trans people based on
39:48 who they are. I don't understand how you can have
39:52 that somehow they're wrong,
39:54 considering God don't make no trash.
39:56 So I don't understand
39:58 it. I don't understand why
40:02 trying to legislate
40:04 against gender reaffirming surgery.
40:06 If I or one of my children
40:08 told me that they were so
40:10 sad or something was so wrong
40:12 that they wanted to kill themselves
40:14 and then there was some medicine that could help
40:16 them feel right, and then
40:18 some guy wasn't going to let me have
40:22 I would kick through and bash through
40:24 and tear down the walls
40:26 to get to it. And I don't understand why
40:28 those barriers are being put up. I
40:30 honestly don't understand it.
40:32 There has to be something,
40:34 some way to convince people that they
40:36 are being misled on that. And that
40:38 ultimately is my feeling about the MAGA
40:42 at best they're being
40:48 at worst they're being out and out lied to.
40:52 fears and angers are being
40:54 harnessed and weaponized
40:56 against people who would not do
40:58 them harm, but are the
41:02 fury and would do them harm.
41:04 Clearly, as we have seen recently, which
41:06 again, I don't know how
41:08 to stop it, but I would want
41:12 and pitch in if somebody had an idea that
41:14 would be good, I would get behind it and sell it as hard
41:16 as I could. I'm sorry if that
41:18 went on too long. No, you're good.
41:20 Thank you so much. I think you touched on
41:24 the points and the challenges
41:26 that are faced in governance
41:28 and when you're governing a community
41:30 like Lakewood that is striving to be
41:32 not just diverse, not just
41:34 equitable, not just inclusive,
41:36 but also be a community
41:38 that is accessible and a community where
41:40 people belong. And yes, that includes
41:42 even people that we might disagree with
41:44 politically, right? So how
41:46 do we manage all of that
41:48 and you have a lot of that to work for.
41:52 don't have perspective. They'll say
41:54 something about an African American person or
41:56 a gay person and they will never
41:58 have any sort of understanding of
42:00 how that person has been.
42:02 Your average MAGA person, has
42:04 that guy ever been the only white guy
42:06 in the room? Have they ever
42:08 been the only person in the room
42:10 where everybody else is othering
42:14 perhaps something would go off and they
42:16 could learn. But I don't know if they're
42:18 not encouraged to have those
42:20 experiences. They're not
42:24 They're going after education
42:26 and they're going after any opportunity
42:30 the context that we're in
42:32 is being taken away. They want
42:34 them ignorant. They want them
42:36 just doing what they're told and they
42:38 don't want them to be informed and
42:40 I don't know what to do unfortunately.
42:42 I wish I had a better answer.
42:44 Thank you for sharing and thank you for
42:46 being honest, open, and transparent
42:48 in your discussion.
42:50 Council Member Stubak.
42:54 Thank you Jason for your
42:56 volunteer work that you do. I greatly
42:58 appreciate that you go out of your way to try and
43:00 understand what's going on in Lakewood
43:02 and then also turning around and sharing it with your
43:08 Thank you for doing that. So I want to
43:10 talk about you for a minute and tell
43:14 desire, why you want to be on City
43:16 Council and what serving
43:18 on City Council will do for you personally
43:24 in the future being involved in politics.
43:34 that you do and I know that it's
43:36 tedious and difficult
43:42 those are jobs that need to be done
43:44 and if they're not, if people
43:46 don't stand up to go do the difficult
43:48 job then the job will be done by
43:50 somebody in ill faith
43:52 is what I've seen happen.
43:54 I take for granted that everyone
43:56 on this board currently is here
43:58 executing the role of
44:00 representative in good faith
44:06 my services because I would
44:08 do that. I would do the absolute best
44:16 to have the citizens of Ward 4
44:22 opportunities to glimpse
44:24 into the lives of Ward 4 people
44:26 that I wouldn't necessarily
44:28 usually have had the opportunity
44:30 to do. I was a postal carrier
44:34 it was about eight years ago
44:38 in mansions at the lake
44:40 but then I would be
44:44 to people who were living in
44:46 dire straits frankly and
44:48 the idea that there's such a split
44:50 like the income inequality
44:58 in some way find myself in a position
45:00 where I could advocate for
45:02 again as Pixie was pointing out
45:04 people who don't have
45:06 a voice and I could
45:08 listen and be that voice
45:12 find great fulfillment in that.
45:14 Personally you're asking what's in it for me
45:16 I would feel as though I've done some good
45:18 in a world where a lot of people are doing bad
45:20 for money and I would be able
45:22 to offer sweat equity
45:32 have the opportunity when a school closes
45:34 and they're inconvenienced to
45:36 have plenty of time to
45:38 round up the troops and
45:40 spend lots of money on signs
45:42 and t-shirts and buy bull horns
45:44 but a lot of people are having a hard time
45:46 in ward four and they don't have the opportunity
45:50 to rally or don't have
45:52 the disposable income to make
45:54 signs with slogans.
46:00 that's who I would have top of mind.
46:02 I mean I'm doing okay.
46:04 I've got insurance. I've got a job.
46:06 My wife has a job. We've got a home
46:08 over our head but you know
46:12 somebody who could be
46:14 helping others have the advantages
46:18 allowed in this town.
46:20 Did I answer your question?
46:24 I hope so. I kind of got off topic there.
46:26 It's in a railing about
46:32 Alright and then last but not least
46:34 Council Member Bullock.
46:36 Thanks Madam Chair. Jason, thanks for being here.
46:38 Thanks for your service on not
46:40 a small number of boards.
46:44 at City Hall plenty between
46:46 the recent task force,
46:50 public arts task force,
46:52 and what am I missing? We just had
46:54 the first LCRAC meeting in person
46:58 It was fun right back there.
47:00 Great. Well you know so that's not
47:02 a small contribution so thank you and I know
47:04 you're experienced and you care.
47:06 So for, you've covered
47:08 some of this. I'll ask the same question everybody.
47:10 Can you identify some board for neighborhood
47:12 level needs or issues and share thoughts
47:14 on possible improvements that might
47:16 shape your work if you were to be a
47:18 council person. And I guess I'm not
47:20 talking as much about the sheer politics.
47:26 from a neighborhood or almost a non-profit mentality.
47:28 You know a lot of what we do
47:32 somewhere in the background colored by
47:34 what people see on cable news.
47:38 neighborhood stuff, it's work a day
47:42 And then there is one other question
47:44 I'd like to ask which is you referenced
47:46 in your letter a concept for
47:48 potential groundbreaking
47:50 new legislation and if you could share
47:52 an example. So those are both
47:54 ends of the spectrum. Feet on the ground
47:56 and then head, you know,
47:58 shooting for the stars.
48:00 Thank you for the question sir.
48:08 that I can see. We're really good
48:10 with parks for little kids. Little
48:12 kids up to a certain age, but
48:14 at around 12, they can't get on the playground
48:16 equipment anymore. And then
48:18 there's a full four years before
48:20 they can drive anywhere. And so a
48:22 bunch of kids I've seen it happen
48:24 don't have anywhere to go between the
48:26 months of like September and March
48:28 because it's rainy and cold outside.
48:30 They often congregate at Cane's
48:34 youth center of some kind where kids
48:36 could go and be allowed to swear
48:38 because that's what all middle schoolers apparently like
48:40 to do. They love to swear. I've seen it happen.
48:42 They like to throw rocks and swear. And if
48:44 they had a place where they could do that
48:46 in some sort of controlled environment,
48:48 I think that would be a great thing, like
48:50 a dog park, but for, you know, tweens.
48:54 You're laughing, but, you know,
48:56 the idea is called the swear jar.
48:58 And so you'd go in and be like
49:00 a large building and
49:02 there'd be a place for some video games
49:04 and there'd be a place, maybe some musical instruments.
49:06 And over here is like the rage room where
49:08 you can get like estate sales. They'll give you plates
49:10 and they can go smash some plates.
49:12 And we have off-duty police
49:14 officers there because the bomb squad, they're really
49:16 good. They know, you know, how projectiles go.
49:18 So they show the kids how to break a plate without
49:20 getting their eyes hurt and stuff like that.
49:24 places that are popping up like this, like
49:30 really cool. And a place called Lemon Seeds,
49:32 which is really really cool. So
49:34 barring making a youth center, I would
49:36 advocate that the city could maybe subsidize
49:40 Academy, I don't know if you're aware of it, it's
49:44 anybody within the sound of my voice, I'm
49:46 not suggesting that it be any cheaper,
49:48 but it could be considered
49:50 expensive by some people. So
49:52 if the city council could allow
49:54 something in the budget for kids who
49:56 are interested to apply
49:58 for funding so that they
50:00 could get a membership to go down there. Because it's
50:02 like a techie kind of thing.
50:04 Games, but also they have classes
50:06 and stuff, but they have memberships.
50:10 something that kind of speaks to
50:16 time for kids to have idle hands
50:18 because they can get into all kinds of crazy stuff
50:20 from what I've seen.
50:24 kids that age is why I'm seeing this
50:26 because I wasn't aware of it before this.
50:30 experience, I've turned my basement
50:32 into a practice space and my sons
50:34 band Roadkill practices down there,
50:36 which is fantastic until you
50:38 hear the same Foo Fighters songs 400
50:40 times on a Sunday, which I've done.
50:42 I'm not a Foo Fighters fan, but
50:44 they have a great time down there and they swear
50:46 and they screw stuff up
50:48 and they're not out on
50:50 the street getting in the mischief
50:52 or vandalizing or doing the kind of stuff
50:54 that kids get into when
50:56 they're 13, 14 years old.
50:58 So that's one suggestion
51:00 that I might have on a local
51:02 neighborhood level.
51:04 I think it would be good for any neighborhood,
51:06 but I think Ward 4 would have a great
51:14 and I'm going to sound a little off the rails
51:16 here, but you asked and I appreciate that
51:20 Keep on coming up with that
51:22 notion that corporations
51:24 are people. It was determined by the Supreme
51:26 Court that Citizen United that
51:28 corporations are people.
51:32 But when people break the law, people go to
51:34 jail. And so I'm wondering why
51:36 First Energy, a corporation
51:38 that broke the law, their C-suite
51:40 paid people off to the tune of
51:42 $60 million. Why they're allowed to
51:44 continue being in business
51:46 and why they were simply fined $283
51:50 or something like that, which really, if you're making
51:52 billions of dollars in profits, it's really
51:54 just the cost of doing business. I would advocate
51:56 for legislation that would let
51:58 Lakewood start making its own energy.
52:00 I mean, we've had induction
52:02 for like a hundred years or something
52:04 like that. Thank you, Michael Faraday.
52:06 If we could come up with some sort
52:08 of small pilot program
52:10 here where we start
52:12 trying to make our own electricity
52:14 at first, maybe just for the
52:16 municipal buildings or maybe
52:18 for the school buildings or some way to
52:20 generate our electricity, we have a
52:24 out here, which is constantly moving. We need
52:26 movement to make electricity. We have
52:28 wind, we have solar, we have
52:30 other bio-electric possibilities.
52:36 people off of their
52:40 give them any money, I would be a very happy
52:42 man and a very, very proud legislator
52:44 because I don't feel as though
52:46 that company should be in business anymore because
52:48 they're just going to do it again. If we learned anything
52:50 from World War I, if you
52:52 just, you know, charge people
52:54 for trying to take over the world, they're going to try
52:56 to do it again 20 years later.
52:58 I'm sorry, Woodrow Wilson and the war reparations
53:04 Sorry, I'm going off of the World War I.
53:06 Sorry. Yeah, thank you
53:08 very much. But I just don't feel
53:10 as though that first energy
53:12 is done. Actually, I just
53:14 saw on the paper on Sunday they're trying to
53:18 the regulators to let them
53:20 blackouts go longer. And this board,
53:22 I believe, responded by saying
53:24 hell no, which is awesome,
53:26 which is why I'm a fan of this
53:28 board of legislators.
53:30 So, yeah, if we could
53:32 make national news by
53:36 conglomerate, you know,
53:38 electrical provider, that would be
53:44 Also, I think anybody who pays taxes
53:46 in Lakewood should be able to get on the
53:48 same healthcare that the cops
53:50 and you, or maybe not you, but because
53:52 you're not full timers, but if we could offer
53:54 a healthcare system to
53:56 anybody who needs it. I mean, the richest
53:58 of us won't need it because they'll have
54:00 their own, and the poorest of us will have
54:02 Medicaid, but people in the middle, if you were able
54:06 How many city employees are there?
54:08 How many thousands? Is it
54:12 It's something, it's high.
54:14 But it's a big pool of people. So if we added
54:16 say, okay, so there's 49,000 people
54:18 in Lakewood, and so the top few...
54:20 So maybe it's another 20,000. We add
54:22 another 20,000 people to that insurance pool.
54:24 Maybe we'll get a break on it, and it'll cost
54:26 less than the price of
54:28 a new city hall. I don't know.
54:30 Maybe. You'd have to crunch the numbers.
54:32 $39 million is a lot of money.
54:34 I think we could insure some people for $39 million.
54:40 about out of time. So
54:42 if you have, I don't know if you have your closing
54:46 I think that was my closing statement.
54:48 Healthcare for all!
54:50 Alright, but if you have
54:52 one, that would be the time.
54:54 My house caught on fire a year ago,
54:58 first people that showed up on the scene were the
55:00 two police officers. It was 2.30 in the morning.
55:02 I was in my underwear trying to put the fire out
55:04 with a garden hose, and
55:06 the police came up, took the hose out of my hand,
55:08 and started fighting the fire on my behalf
55:10 while I could go in and put some pants on,
55:12 take my family and make sure that the cat was still alive.
55:14 I'm forever in debt
55:16 to the police of this town.
55:18 The firefighters that came out and
55:20 put the fire out, they
55:22 responded in sort of a
55:24 minute thirty or something like that.
55:28 when a catastrophic
55:30 event happens for your family,
55:32 the fact that there are people that respond
55:34 immediately as their job
55:36 and without reservation or
55:38 hesitation is amazing, and I feel as though
55:40 your house catching on fire is analog
55:46 diagnosis of stage four
55:48 cancer, and so I feel as though
55:50 if there were any way
55:52 possible, and there's a will,
55:56 offer what the federal
55:58 government refuses to offer to its citizens
56:00 somehow. I don't know. Again, this is not
56:02 the kind of thing that's going to happen overnight,
56:06 taxes at Lakewood, you can have the opportunity
56:08 of getting on the municipal health
56:10 insurance so that someone comes
56:12 and tells you that your mom has cancer,
56:14 then people come running to help them, and
56:16 you don't have to start a GoFundMe or
56:18 be like, this is a death sentence. Sixty percent
56:20 of America doesn't have five hundred dollars
56:22 in the bank. That's a
56:24 real statistic. I think it might even be worse now,
56:26 which means that a lot of people in Ward
56:28 Four don't have five hundred dollars in the bank,
56:30 and they do not have the kind of money
56:32 that they can throw at a catastrophic
56:34 illness. So, if that
56:36 was possible, and I believe it's possible,
56:38 that would be something that I think
56:40 that would be worth the time
56:42 of the very engaged
56:44 public servants that are
56:46 the Lakewood City Council,
56:48 and I would be proud to be a part of it. That is my
56:50 closest thing. Thanks so much.
56:52 I really appreciate the opportunity.
56:54 Thank you, Jason. We appreciate you being here.
57:00 All right. So, right
57:02 about on time, next up is
57:04 Sydney Leiter-Canaday,
57:08 So, Sydney, I told the other
57:10 you can either stand or sit, whichever you prefer.
57:14 you'd like, you're welcome to do so.
57:16 Just because the other one stood doesn't mean that you have to.
57:22 We gave everyone the opportunity
57:24 to prepare an opening statement.
57:26 If you have one, if you'd like
57:28 to do that, you're welcome to do that now.
57:30 Perfect. Thank you. Can you hear me?
57:34 Thank you. Good evening, members of council
57:36 and President Keppel and residents
57:38 of Lakewood that are watching in here.
57:40 My name is Sydney Leiter-Canaday
57:44 to Lakewood was always
57:46 in the stars. I remember visiting
57:50 10 to 13 years old, living
57:52 here with my sister,
57:54 and walking these neighborhoods, and really
57:58 this is a place that I would like to live when I would
58:00 live. And then I know
58:02 going to college, once I moved
58:04 back up here to Cuyahoga County, that this
58:06 is somewhere that I did want to live, and that I
58:08 did want to grow a family.
58:10 It is somewhere I've built my life,
58:12 I've gotten married, and I've
58:14 been building my foundation here personally,
58:16 professionally, and
58:22 in particular, represents the reality
58:24 of Lakewood. It's one of our most
58:26 diverse wards, of course, and
58:28 you know, you have renters, you have home owners,
58:30 you have young people, seniors,
58:34 And I understand that,
58:36 you know, diversity isn't really
58:38 my talking point because it's a lived experience.
58:42 I live my experience through being a renter
58:46 in the community as much as I can,
58:48 and supporting policy that
58:50 I would like to go through
58:54 impacting housing infrastructure
58:56 and quality of life.
58:58 And I believe an effective government
59:00 is, you know, requires
59:02 preparation, accountability, and
59:04 respect for people impacted
59:10 So, as I told the others,
59:12 as you know, council meets
59:14 on typically Monday nights.
59:16 First and third Mondays are the full council meetings
59:20 committee meetings beforehand.
59:22 We have the other Mondays, we have
59:24 other committee meetings, so pretty much every
59:26 Monday you're going to be here.
59:28 Usually it could start as early as 530,
59:32 There may be other days as well.
59:34 And then council members estimate
59:36 they spend about 20 to 25
59:38 hours a week on council business.
59:40 That could be out in the
59:42 community, could be answering emails and phone calls.
59:44 Some people spend more,
59:46 some might spend less, but that's about
59:48 the average estimate.
59:50 So, with all that being said,
59:52 would you have the capacity
59:54 to fulfill the obligations?
59:58 Alright, so then, we'll jump in.
1:00:00 My first question is pretty simple.
1:00:04 engagement with the Lakewood community.
1:00:08 engaged with the Lakewood community by being on
1:00:10 Lakewood Citizens Advisory Council
1:00:14 community development block grants
1:00:20 I've been on the board for over
1:00:36 being involved politically as well.
1:00:48 Thank you and thank you, Sydney,
1:00:52 putting yourself out there.
1:00:54 This is not easy. Many of us up here
1:00:56 have gone through the same process.
1:01:00 question I asked other folks, which is
1:01:08 mapping that out. What do you think you could
1:01:14 for the city, and then kind of
1:01:18 What do you think the biggest challenges are
1:01:20 in Ward 4 that you may be able
1:01:26 So I think as council person,
1:01:32 work on what affects our neighborhood
1:01:36 One of the biggest investments
1:01:38 right now is the Madison Park.
1:01:46 Madison Park is a big vital
1:01:52 to be more engaged and understanding
1:01:56 Because when you see how the process
1:02:00 seeing the results, I think
1:02:02 it makes you more connected into
1:02:06 a council person, I would like to
1:02:12 something I had an idea about,
1:02:14 which is like a Ward 4 walkthrough.
1:02:18 is where you can walk with your council person
1:02:20 and kind of point out, you know, whatever
1:02:22 needs, want, not even needs,
1:02:28 and getting those direct answers from your
1:02:30 council person. So it's kind of like
1:02:32 a way to get the community engaged
1:02:34 with having the building of the public trust
1:02:36 of being able to talk to your council
1:02:38 person in that moment and being accessible as
1:02:40 possible. I think some of the
1:02:42 challenges that are happening in
1:02:46 be, you know, housing stability.
1:02:54 Complaints. And, you know, sometimes
1:02:56 that could affect the quality of life. So like with
1:02:58 housing stability, I know sometimes
1:03:00 a complaint is like about the
1:03:06 not being up to code. And sometimes I can,
1:03:10 lose a little bit of hope and
1:03:16 things are being worked towards.
1:03:20 concern of like if buildings are up to code. And so
1:03:22 having that open space of, you know,
1:03:24 going through that process and seeing how
1:03:26 that can be worked on. And then
1:03:28 I know sometimes, you know,
1:03:30 noise can be part of the area
1:03:32 as well. A complaint and so going
1:03:38 and seeing what we can do to
1:03:40 better that quality of life as well.
1:03:50 Madam Chair. Hi, Sydney. Welcome.
1:03:54 engagement in our community and your
1:03:56 leadership and politics. We're friends.
1:04:04 doing all the things you said in your opening statement.
1:04:06 So I appreciate your application
1:04:10 same question for you as for others.
1:04:12 Can you, from a neighborhood
1:04:18 share some of your thinking
1:04:20 about what Ward 4 neighborhood level
1:04:28 see potential for and that might
1:04:30 shape your work if you were to be appointed
1:04:36 some of the areas that need
1:04:38 to be worked on, like I said, are
1:04:40 some of the building codes, having complaints,
1:04:42 seeing those being taken accountable of
1:04:52 coming up with services, because I know
1:04:54 from direct, from my experience
1:04:58 I do a lot of constituent work, and I have
1:05:00 done a lot of constituent work, and
1:05:02 understanding what navigations,
1:05:04 what options there might be, because
1:05:06 sometimes not all shoe sizes fit
1:05:16 a little bit. Not that, like, what is not
1:05:18 a safe space, but, you know, we're seeing
1:05:20 a decrease in safe spaces, especially with this current
1:05:24 the worry of how do we retain and protect
1:05:28 options? Because by the time, especially
1:05:34 businesses, by the time they come
1:05:36 public, by the time they become
1:05:38 public, it's already, you know, limited
1:05:42 I'm not saying that, you know, going through the process
1:05:44 of what city council could do,
1:05:46 and understanding and explaining
1:05:48 that thoroughly to the constituents, I think
1:05:50 that builds a sense of trust
1:05:54 results, as well, and working as a
1:06:00 Councilmember Stupak. Thank you.
1:06:02 Thank you, and I appreciate
1:06:08 and the idea of talking with
1:06:10 the constituents to find out
1:06:14 needs are. But I want to talk a little
1:06:16 bit more specifically about you.
1:06:20 you want to be on city council?
1:06:28 in any type of politics in the
1:06:30 future? That's a great question.
1:06:34 the bottom of that question.
1:06:40 in government and politics.
1:06:42 So I do eventually see myself
1:06:46 involvement, rather than being
1:06:52 board, just being interactive in my community,
1:06:58 As a councilperson, and why,
1:07:00 I believe in Lakewood. I believe in
1:07:04 building to be. I see myself
1:07:06 as a young person coming here
1:07:08 and wanting to build my life here.
1:07:10 I think a lot of people feel
1:07:12 safe with that idea. Not a lot of people
1:07:14 know where they're going to live the next day,
1:07:18 coming to Lakewood and building
1:07:20 a foundation here was something I
1:07:26 it's like the happiest place in America.
1:07:32 councilperson to making the quality of life
1:07:34 better, especially for me as a young person.
1:07:40 of what this age representation
1:07:42 is in the city, and especially
1:07:44 people who are building houses here, who are building life
1:07:48 taking their kids to school. I see that
1:07:52 Being interactive in the community,
1:08:06 growing place that I would like to
1:08:14 All right. Councilmember Hamilton-Steiner.
1:08:16 Thank you, President-Couple,
1:08:18 and thank you, Sydney, for being here
1:08:26 putting yourself out there. It's not easy to do,
1:08:32 a complete and total interrogation, but
1:08:36 we've tried to make it fun.
1:08:40 the middle of the room, and I
1:08:42 know you were last year going through the process,
1:08:48 You've touched on a little bit,
1:08:52 probably heard my question that
1:08:56 in the direction I'm going towards, but you
1:08:58 touched on a little bit about Ward 4 being
1:09:04 share how you will manage and balance
1:09:06 the diverse and sometimes competing
1:09:08 communities? I know you've alluded to it a little bit, but can you
1:09:10 maybe detail out a little bit more
1:09:16 one thing for sure is that going in head on
1:09:22 there has to be a balance when it comes to
1:09:24 building a community, because not everybody
1:09:26 is going to agree necessarily
1:09:34 live, because you have to realize we have such a diverse
1:09:38 have a balance when it comes to race,
1:09:40 it comes to gender, it comes to
1:09:44 So you have someone who might be
1:09:46 a different social economic
1:09:50 economically well off person
1:09:52 that might be next to someone who is struggling
1:09:58 thoroughly and carefully and managing
1:10:00 balancing those needs when it comes
1:10:06 the needs that it impacts the community as
1:10:10 people agree with you or not.
1:10:22 disagreements are going to happen
1:10:24 regardless of whatever seat you are publicly facing
1:10:28 disagreements, I will say, because I think
1:10:34 it challenges you to knowing that there's
1:10:36 other perspectives out there than just one,
1:10:52 but not least, Council Member Evans.
1:10:56 I said, Nia, good to see you again.
1:11:00 going to stick with my backup question now just because I've asked her.
1:11:04 about your work style, management style,
1:11:08 with other people, specifically in the workplace,
1:11:12 to build consensus and solve problems?
1:11:16 I think I'm a very easygoing
1:11:18 person. I listen thoroughly
1:11:26 what is needed into the conversation.
1:11:32 of going into long-term thinking
1:11:34 rather than short-term pressures,
1:11:40 and engaging as much as possible.
1:11:44 that regardless of, you know,
1:11:46 if I disagree with colleagues or not,
1:11:48 that we always eventually come to a consensus.
1:11:52 and I believe, you know, you can agree
1:11:54 to disagree, but as long as
1:11:56 we are on a consistent basis to getting the work done,
1:11:58 then anything could be done.
1:12:06 anything that you wanted, that we haven't touched on
1:12:08 yet, that you want to make sure to highlight in terms of
1:12:10 your skills or experience or what you'd bring?
1:12:12 And then I'll give you a chance due to your closing statement, too,
1:12:14 but I thought before we do that, is there anything else?
1:12:22 was something I thought about thoroughly,
1:12:24 and especially as me as a young person.
1:12:26 I think we don't see a lot of young people
1:12:30 the seat. And when I say young, I mean
1:12:36 you know, that was something that
1:12:46 the community as much as I am,
1:12:48 but also having the institutional
1:12:50 knowledge that I do have that I can bring to council.
1:12:54 really making an impact in the community.
1:13:02 CAC, but if you're not successful
1:13:04 with the appointment, are you interested in
1:13:06 serving on any other boards or commissions?
1:13:10 Do you have any in particular in mind?
1:13:12 You don't have to, but just in case.
1:13:18 if you have a closing statement for us,
1:13:20 any other council members, any follow up questions?
1:13:22 Okay. If you have a closing
1:13:26 Alright. Thank you so much for having me.
1:13:32 and thank you for your thoughtful questions
1:13:34 and I hope that I was able to give
1:13:40 would take this role basically as a legislator,
1:13:46 and working with my colleagues to make
1:13:50 facts and thinking of the community
1:13:54 Like I said before, I just really believe that
1:14:00 confident in their local government
1:14:02 and concerns are listened to thoroughly
1:14:06 to continue that regardless of what happens
1:14:14 Thank you, Sydney. We appreciate you coming in
1:14:20 So we're a little bit ahead.
1:14:22 Matt, if you're ready, we can take you if you want to.
1:14:26 Alright. So next up is Matt
1:14:32 I don't know why I'm always like second guessing
1:14:36 Alright. Do it. Let's do it.
1:15:12 Matt, I'll let you go ahead and start with your opening
1:15:14 statement if you're welcome to do that.
1:15:18 city council members, clerical staff
1:15:20 and fellow community members.
1:15:22 Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be here.
1:15:24 My name is Matt Bixen-stein and I wish to be the next
1:15:26 Ward 4 council person for the city of Lakewood.
1:15:28 I've had the privilege of calling
1:15:30 Lakewood home for 16 years.
1:15:32 After running on Elbert Avenue, my wife Elise
1:15:34 and I purchased a home on Clarence Avenue
1:15:38 And we were married in 2015 in one of our
1:15:40 Ward's most prominent structures, the screw factory.
1:15:42 Our two children attend Harrison Elementary
1:15:44 School in the historic Birdtown neighborhood.
1:15:46 Ward 4 is an exceptionally unique
1:15:48 and special place, one that is diverse
1:15:50 both ethnically and socioeconomically.
1:15:52 It encompasses the densely populated
1:15:54 Gold Coast neighborhood, the
1:15:56 charming working class neighborhood of Birdtown
1:16:00 Ward 4 has thriving commercial
1:16:02 corridors along Detroit, Madison,
1:16:06 Lakewood's four largest parks in Madison and Cove,
1:16:10 rail stations just across the border in Cleveland.
1:16:14 to border Cleveland on two sides.
1:16:16 It's home to Mayhall's, the oldest bowling alley
1:16:18 in the state, and to our city's lovely
1:16:20 repurposed community center.
1:16:22 I spent the last decade honing my
1:16:24 skills as a community builder, both
1:16:26 in professional and volunteer capacities.
1:16:30 I served as marketing and development manager
1:16:34 experience allowed me to tell the story of Lakewood's many
1:16:36 vibrant neighborhoods, business corridors,
1:16:38 and unique gatherings like Light Up Lakewood.
1:16:40 I was responsible for fundraising
1:16:42 so that the organization could continue
1:16:44 to do the important work it does
1:16:46 supporting residents, businesses, and
1:16:48 neighborhoods. More recently,
1:16:50 while working as a state-owned parent,
1:16:52 I've continued to be civically minded by pursuing
1:16:56 My volunteer experience the last five
1:16:58 years includes establishing friends
1:17:00 in Madison Park and the Clearance Avenue Block
1:17:02 Club, as well as contributing to
1:17:04 the Lakewood Tree Advisory and Education Board,
1:17:08 Lakewood Soccer Association, Lakewood
1:17:10 Hiking Bike Program, Harrison PTA, and
1:17:12 more. I look forward to sharing some
1:17:14 specifics from these experiences this evening.
1:17:16 I believe in the importance of our
1:17:18 democratic process and have been active
1:17:20 in local city council campaigns
1:17:22 canvassing on behalf of a variety of candidates.
1:17:26 parks, neighborhood camaraderie,
1:17:28 tree canopy growth, complete
1:17:30 streets, small business support,
1:17:32 affordable housing, and community
1:17:34 participation. I look forward to
1:17:36 talking about some of my council priorities tonight
1:17:40 the opportunity to continue building community while serving
1:17:44 and contribute to the outstanding work that this city
1:17:46 council does in our community. Thank you
1:17:54 So you know council meets on
1:17:56 Monday nights, first and third Mondays
1:17:58 full council meetings. We have
1:18:00 committee meetings proceeding as well as on the
1:18:02 other Mondays, sometimes additional
1:18:04 days as well for meetings, and
1:18:06 like I mentioned, council members
1:18:08 estimate they spend around 20 to 25
1:18:10 hours per week on council business,
1:18:12 whether that's in the community, responding
1:18:14 to emails and calls and things,
1:18:18 Some of us may spend more, some
1:18:20 might spend less, but that's the estimate.
1:18:22 So with all that being said,
1:18:24 would you be able to fulfill the
1:18:26 obligations of a council member? Yes, I would.
1:18:30 You touched a little bit about this on your opening
1:18:32 statement, but I'll give you an opportunity to expound.
1:18:34 So if you can tell us about your
1:18:36 engagement with the Lakewood community.
1:18:38 Yes, thank you. And I want to preface this
1:18:42 for the sake of brevity, I'm not going to be able to
1:18:44 acknowledge the many, many people
1:18:46 who assisted with these projects and endeavors.
1:18:48 But I am grateful for those people.
1:18:52 I've done as a community builder over the last
1:18:56 and president of Friends of Madison Park, I've been
1:18:58 building park community on a daily basis.
1:19:02 worked with the city to create, to establish
1:19:04 the Little Free Locker Room as a resource
1:19:06 to ensure all park visitors have access to
1:19:08 sporting goods equipment when visiting Madison
1:19:10 Park. I worked with the city to
1:19:12 establish the Friends of Madison Park community garden
1:19:18 free of charge to our gardeners.
1:19:20 And we have gardeners from all walks of life,
1:19:22 including apartment dwellers who
1:19:24 otherwise wouldn't have access to green space.
1:19:26 I worked with Keep Lakely Beautiful
1:19:30 the adoptive spots in front of Beck's Pool.
1:19:32 And I continued to maintain those
1:19:34 adoptive spots four years later
1:19:36 as a welcoming entrance to our,
1:19:40 I've spearheaded hosting community events
1:19:42 in Madison Park, like the Madison Park Chalk
1:19:44 Fest, and I also ensured that
1:19:46 our park group has a presence at other groups'
1:19:48 community events, like Madison Court Coalition's
1:19:50 Block Parties and Lakewood Alive's
1:19:54 I've also supported the city in its efforts to
1:19:56 develop and implement the Madison Park
1:19:58 Master Plan that this very council
1:20:00 adopted, and of which Phase 1 was
1:20:04 And I've had the opportunity and the privilege to collaborate
1:20:06 with a wide range of organizations, including
1:20:08 the City of Lakewood, Lakewood Alive,
1:20:10 MC3, Keep Lakely Beautiful,
1:20:12 Bunts to Birdtown, H2O, and more.
1:20:16 of the Clarence Avenue Block Club,
1:20:18 I host an annual block party in December,
1:20:22 a holiday lights contest in December,
1:20:24 and an Easter egg hunt in April.
1:20:26 I administer a Facebook group
1:20:28 comprising 75 of my neighbors.
1:20:30 And I strive to provide a sense
1:20:34 so that we neighbors can support one another
1:20:36 through any challenges that arise,
1:20:42 As a board member for the Lakewood Tree
1:20:44 Advisory and Education Board,
1:20:46 I was part of a group that helped launch the Lakewood Tree
1:20:48 Giveaway Program, which in our first
1:20:50 two years has provided residents with 600
1:20:52 native trees for private yard planting,
1:21:00 I hope to have a chance to speak more about my love of trees
1:21:04 As a former board member for Keep Lakewood Beautiful,
1:21:06 I had the opportunity for three years
1:21:08 to assist this group with their city beautification
1:21:10 efforts, and to help amplify
1:21:12 the message of the great work they do in the community.
1:21:16 Lakewood Soccer Association, I never
1:21:18 ceased to be amazed by this group's
1:21:20 volunteers, their ability to orchestrate a
1:21:24 If you haven't had a chance to check out Saturday Soccer
1:21:26 Down the Metro Parks, I highly recommend it.
1:21:28 There's not enough parking.
1:21:34 about some solutions there, too.
1:21:38 of the Lakewood Hiking Bike Program, I serve as
1:21:40 the champion for Harrison Elementary,
1:21:42 as we strive to encourage more community
1:21:44 members to consider walking or biking to school.
1:21:46 I try to lead by example. My kids
1:21:48 and I are proud of the fact that we're currently riding
1:21:50 a car-free streak this entire school year,
1:21:52 despite at times some challenging weather.
1:21:56 Harrison Elementary School PTA,
1:21:58 I co-chair Harrison's first
1:22:00 ever school dance last February,
1:22:02 and I currently oversee a 12-person committee
1:22:08 theme dance on February 7th.
1:22:10 Tickets go on sale this Thursday.
1:22:16 Thank you. Vice President Baker.
1:22:26 as a community member, you know,
1:22:28 that I go to Saturday Soccer
1:22:32 a four-year-old who's about to start, so
1:22:34 another four years I'll be in, so
1:22:36 it'll be like a decade for me.
1:22:38 But I'll ask you a similar question.
1:22:40 Thank you for putting yourself out there.
1:22:42 This is not easy. Thank you
1:22:44 for your service you've already done to our community.
1:22:48 a similar question. You got about 21,
1:22:54 What do you think you can accomplish
1:22:56 in that 20, 22 months, and what do you
1:22:58 think are some of the challenges
1:23:00 that are unique to Ward 4 that you think
1:23:02 may align with what you seek to accomplish
1:23:06 To speak first to just a couple
1:23:12 in East Birdtown regarding the Neograft
1:23:16 parking issues in Birdtown resulting
1:23:18 from the thriving Madison Avenue commercial
1:23:22 Moving north, there's a major
1:23:24 void in the Detroit Avenue commercial corridor
1:23:28 Fieldhouse closed. And moving north
1:23:30 further, there's a pair of nuisance motels
1:23:32 in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
1:23:36 order of business, and something I think I could
1:23:38 take a stab at in the first 21
1:23:42 probably impact all of these issues to some extent,
1:23:46 community engagement. When you look
1:23:48 at a city of Lakewood block
1:23:56 street, Clarence Avenue. And I'd like to see that
1:24:00 Back before the pandemic, the city hosted
1:24:02 an annual block club captains meeting
1:24:06 club captains and aspiring captains
1:24:12 networked and shared ideas.
1:24:14 And it went away with the pandemic, and I'd like to see
1:24:16 that come back. And if it can't happen at a
1:24:18 city-wide basis, then I'd like to see it happen
1:24:24 explore loosing the rules for hosting
1:24:26 a block party. Currently you have to have
1:24:32 to apply for a block party permit.
1:24:34 And for anybody who's done any
1:24:36 canvassing lately, which I know is everybody on
1:24:40 you know, it's really difficult to get
1:24:42 75% of people to open their door,
1:24:44 much less sign a document to hand them.
1:24:46 So I'd like to explore if there's
1:24:52 if not remove, reduce this barrier to entry
1:24:54 for creating more block clubs.
1:24:56 You know, with block clubs,
1:24:58 I see that as serving several purposes
1:25:02 getting neighbors to interact with one another.
1:25:04 That's really important, and that helps to
1:25:06 break down some of the divisiveness that
1:25:08 some of my fellow applicants
1:25:10 have talked about. There's also
1:25:12 opening up more opportunity for us as
1:25:14 community leaders to be able to go into their neighborhoods
1:25:16 and talk to people where they're at
1:25:18 in their comfort zone, in their
1:25:20 neighborhoods and on their porches.
1:25:22 And there's also the opportunity
1:25:24 to drive voter registration,
1:25:26 because unfortunately Ward 4
1:25:28 was historically lagged behind in voter turnout,
1:25:30 and that's something I'd like to see changed.
1:25:32 You know, I could talk about
1:25:38 you know, affordable housing, small business
1:25:44 Of course, the looming city hall
1:25:46 decision is a monumental decision that I know
1:25:48 you guys have been working on a great
1:25:50 deal, but I think just to give
1:25:52 an issue on the citywide basis that I'd want to
1:25:58 Lakewood safer for pedestrians
1:26:00 and bicyclists, and then in turn motorists.
1:26:04 of the Complete Streets Initiative that
1:26:06 this council's adopted and that's
1:26:10 And so I want to contribute to
1:26:12 enforcing distracted driving
1:26:16 coming along more side streets.
1:26:18 And making crosswalk signs automatically
1:26:22 And I'll finish by saying one
1:26:28 take on with regards to pedestrian
1:26:30 safety is the hawk signals.
1:26:32 You know, as you know, we currently have
1:26:34 a hawk signal on Madison, one on
1:26:36 Detroit, and a third one west
1:26:38 down in Madison by a beer engine that's about to come
1:26:42 it's a great concept because
1:26:46 it allows pedestrians to have
1:26:48 more access points for crossing
1:26:50 our busy commercial corridors.
1:26:52 But in practice, if you were to talk to anybody
1:26:54 on my street, Clarence Avenue,
1:26:56 virtually everybody's had a near-death
1:26:58 experience with the hawk signal.
1:27:02 unfortunately too many motorists
1:27:04 don't understand that they need to treat it as a stoplight
1:27:08 And so I think the starting point
1:27:10 for trying to figure out a solution, because I think
1:27:12 hawk signals are great, is to
1:27:16 that goes with our hawk signals. Right now
1:27:20 font uniform throughout. It reads
1:27:22 something like, stop on red,
1:27:26 proceed through the intersection if
1:27:28 no one's in the intersection.
1:27:30 And so I think the stop on red part
1:27:32 needs to be dramatically more bold
1:27:36 have a chance for motorists to know
1:27:38 the rule well before they reach the intersection.
1:27:42 increasing community engagement
1:27:44 and increasing pedestrian safety
1:27:46 would be two of the issues I'd look to
1:27:48 to contribute to in my first two years.
1:27:54 I'm going to go this way this time to even it up.
1:27:58 Thank you, Madam Chair. Thanks, Matt, for being here.
1:28:02 It takes a lot to put yourself out
1:28:04 there and go for this. So I appreciate
1:28:06 you taking the time and your commitment to the city.
1:28:10 Same question I've been asking folks.
1:28:12 Talk a little about how you
1:28:14 operate in the work environment, how you interact
1:28:18 how you go about trying to get things done,
1:28:20 solve problems, and build consensus.
1:28:24 question. I consider myself a team
1:28:26 player who strives to collaborate.
1:28:32 communication that's open and honest.
1:28:36 realization that you can't please everyone and that it's okay
1:28:38 to have respectful disagreement.
1:28:40 I was brought up to follow the golden role,
1:28:42 to treat others as you'd want to be treated, and I think
1:28:44 that's a simple policy that really
1:28:48 workplace. You know, my time at
1:28:50 Lakewood Alive was a perfect learning grounds
1:28:52 for practicing managing diverse relationships
1:28:58 members and board members and volunteers
1:29:00 and business owners and city hall employees
1:29:04 residents who were in need of support.
1:29:06 And in many ways my work with Friends of Madison
1:29:10 I interact with a wide assortment of people
1:29:16 teens, young families, fellow community members
1:29:18 and sports leagues to name a few.
1:29:22 Madison Park on a given day
1:29:24 chances are I'll run into Brian
1:29:26 who does a great job with park maintenance
1:29:28 and I'll run into either Jerry or
1:29:30 Tim or Del who work in park security
1:29:34 and I'll likely run into Abdul who's the unofficial
1:29:38 I really value having a wide
1:29:40 range of relationships with people from
1:29:42 all walks of life in my immediate neighborhood.
1:29:54 my backyard which is to say Madison Park.
1:30:00 it's of utmost importance that we optimize the public parks
1:30:04 and continues to do a terrific job with this
1:30:08 what does optimization mean in
1:30:12 During the early portions of the process for creating
1:30:14 the Madison Park master plan
1:30:16 it became apparent there were two distinct camps of
1:30:20 to park improvements. One was
1:30:22 those who wished to maximize the
1:30:24 recreational spaces or the recreational
1:30:26 amenities at Madison Park by adding more
1:30:32 those who wished to maximize the green space
1:30:34 at Madison Park by adding more trees
1:30:36 and landscaping and natural spaces.
1:30:40 respect both viewpoints and I see the value of both
1:30:42 and I think we at Friends of Madison Park
1:30:44 we strove to strike a balanced
1:30:46 perspective on the matter and
1:30:48 I'd like to think the current version of the
1:31:00 We'll come around to Council Member
1:31:06 Thank you President Keppel and thank you Matt
1:31:08 for coming out here and speaking of
1:31:10 Mayor of Madison Park it is his birthday
1:31:12 today if you did not know that.
1:31:14 I need to remember to wish Abdul a happy birthday
1:31:16 if he's not watching. Yes, happy birthday
1:31:20 Madison Park, the unofficial Mayor of Madison Park.
1:31:24 thank you so much for applying.
1:31:30 Good luck to you. So the question
1:31:32 I have we've been talking about diversity
1:31:42 if you can just share how you
1:31:44 will manage and balance the
1:31:46 diverse and sometimes competing needs and interests
1:31:48 of the ward and you may have touched on that
1:31:50 just a little bit but if you want to
1:31:52 take the opportunity to expand on that a little
1:31:56 the question. Diversity, equity, and inclusion
1:31:58 are incredibly important throughout our city
1:32:02 which as we've said tonight is
1:32:06 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse
1:32:10 take great pride in the fact that I live in a
1:32:14 diverse and I interact with people
1:32:16 from all walks of life. I find
1:32:20 is really important in this respect. Being able to
1:32:24 meet them where they're at and hear them out
1:32:26 and try to understand because we
1:32:28 can't walk in each other's shoes
1:32:30 but we can try to understand what it's like
1:32:32 to walk in each other's shoes and I think that's really
1:32:38 of course I would be the council person
1:32:42 my ward regardless of whether
1:32:44 they share my political beliefs or not
1:32:46 but I would certainly have to
1:32:48 stress the vital importance
1:32:52 and inclusion and I think if I could
1:32:56 some ways I've made that important to me
1:33:00 The Little Free Locker Room was born out of
1:33:06 understanding the park visitor demographics,
1:33:08 the fact that Madison Park does have a
1:33:10 fair number of visitors who are
1:33:12 economically disadvantaged and so
1:33:14 we came up with this mission, let's ensure
1:33:16 everyone who visits Madison Park has access
1:33:18 to free sporting goods equipment
1:33:20 and the Healthy Lakewood Foundation
1:33:24 enough to offer us the grant money we needed
1:33:26 to be able to continue to supply that equipment
1:33:28 but it's been a labor of love
1:33:34 my family or one of my neighbors
1:33:38 locker room and then every single night going
1:33:40 out at dusk and cleaning up all
1:33:42 the toys that are strung across
1:33:44 the park which seems to be an
1:33:46 inevitability but it's also
1:33:48 really rewarding. In the same
1:33:50 vein, being involved with the MC3
1:33:52 block parties, having a presence
1:33:54 of those, they've made such a difference as
1:34:02 a privilege for Friends of Madison Park for us to
1:34:04 have a steady presence where we have bubbles
1:34:08 stomprockets at those events.
1:34:10 It's also why co-chairing the
1:34:14 committee for Harrison Elementary is so
1:34:16 important to me because Harrison has a very
1:34:18 diverse student body, more than 20
1:34:20 languages are represented in Harrison and many
1:34:24 and it also enrolls a large number of
1:34:28 students so to be able to offer this sort of
1:34:30 opportunity in the dead of winter
1:34:32 for students to get together on
1:34:34 a Saturday and have a really fun time
1:34:40 The same with the Clarence Avenue block party.
1:34:46 on my street, it's potluck style.
1:34:48 You can contribute what you have.
1:34:52 ask, there's no fee required because
1:34:56 that people in my neighborhood come
1:35:00 it's a very mixed income area so we want to
1:35:02 make sure everybody has the opportunity to participate
1:35:06 block party and finally with the
1:35:08 Friends of Madison Park community garden
1:35:16 are accounted for with a short waiting list but
1:35:18 in addition to having apartment dwellers, we do have
1:35:20 some non-English first language
1:35:26 often times my communication with those gardeners
1:35:28 if I'm out there trying to refill some
1:35:30 rain barrels or empty some debris bins
1:35:32 is a smile and I'm not able to
1:35:34 communicate too much beyond that but I will
1:35:36 tell you this, a lot of the
1:35:38 gardeners, they have a way greener thumb
1:35:40 than I would ever hope to have.
1:35:46 Next, Council Member Striepid.
1:35:50 Thank you Matt for all the work that you've done with
1:35:52 Lakewood Alive and through the Friends
1:35:56 thank you for picking up the balls and stuff on
1:36:00 all the kids are gone, we know how that is.
1:36:02 I do have a couple questions for you
1:36:04 specifically. Can you tell me
1:36:08 council and what serving on city
1:36:10 council will do for you personally
1:36:12 and do you see yourself in the future
1:36:14 being involved in politics?
1:36:16 Thank you for the question.
1:36:20 appointed ward four council person
1:36:22 I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and get
1:36:24 to work supporting the residents of ward four.
1:36:28 like a natural progression of the community work
1:36:32 I'm excited to learn from all of you because I'll be the first
1:36:36 I rarely admit that there's a lot to learn
1:36:38 and I know there's a learning curve to this role and
1:36:40 I would need to listen and soak up information
1:36:44 excited that when my neighbors jokingly
1:36:46 refer to me as their council person I wouldn't have to
1:36:52 With regards to political aspirations
1:36:56 honestly I don't really have any
1:37:00 local and locally involved so this time
1:37:04 beyond being a city council person.
1:37:06 I suppose it could always change
1:37:16 I feel this opportunity would help me to grow
1:37:22 and just to give one example
1:37:28 mentioned I like to try to listen
1:37:30 and hear people where they're at and be
1:37:32 able to show empathy and when
1:37:36 unfortunately there was a pair of
1:37:38 gun violence incidents at Madison
1:37:42 our living room having dinner
1:37:46 and we could hear the shots ring out
1:37:48 but for the second incident we were
1:37:50 at the edge of the park and hid in a
1:37:54 you know it's something I think about to this day
1:37:58 as a you know I kind of had to
1:38:00 wear both hats both of my leadership hats in
1:38:06 I tried to serve as a voice of
1:38:08 reason and restraint during a highly emotional
1:38:10 time because I had some neighbors
1:38:12 who after the second incident
1:38:14 wanted to go out that night and remove the
1:38:16 rims from the basketball court while others
1:38:18 correctly assess that basketball was not the issue
1:38:22 Friends of Madison Park perspective
1:38:24 you know we tried to we released public statements
1:38:28 and urging community support
1:38:32 ward four council person Dan O'Malley
1:38:34 and hosting a virtual town hall because the pandemic
1:38:38 we got permission from the city to put a
1:38:40 peace love and lakewood sign on the
1:38:44 of the incidents and that hung for the rest of that year
1:38:48 third Thursday in Madison Park event series
1:38:50 a four part event series with the local church
1:38:54 in their first year of block parties because
1:39:00 with regards to park activation
1:39:02 many of the park events that
1:39:04 only take place weren't taking place that year
1:39:06 so we're proud of the work we were able to do
1:39:08 to help fill that void the best we could
1:39:18 Thanks Madam Chair, Matt thanks for being here
1:39:22 probably in your previous answers
1:39:34 from a neighborhood level issue
1:39:42 a couple additional thoughts
1:39:44 about possible improvements that might
1:39:46 shape your work in advocacy
1:39:48 now you've covered a bunch of them already
1:39:54 to go into so maybe we can hear about that
1:40:02 and apartment buildings where
1:40:08 compared to being able to walk
1:40:10 up front porches and knock on the front door
1:40:16 any thoughts about that unique aspect
1:40:20 foreign to other wards of Lakewood
1:40:24 super concentrated in Ward 4
1:40:32 with regards to the parking
1:40:34 issues in Birdtown you know as an
1:40:36 urbanist parking issues are
1:40:38 a good they're a good problem they're a healthy problem to have
1:40:40 but it's still one that is causing
1:40:42 pain points for a lot of residents
1:40:44 in Birdtown and even on my street in
1:40:46 Clarence you know that street parking
1:40:48 is at an extreme premium and
1:40:52 council members talk about the possibility of
1:40:58 two spots when it's wide enough and I think that's a fine
1:41:02 that's specific to the Birdtown neighborhood
1:41:04 would be to leverage the new Birdtown
1:41:06 connector entrance pedestrian entrance
1:41:10 and to encourage motorists to park
1:41:14 walk the entrance to Thrush Avenue
1:41:16 and then you're right in the heart
1:41:20 Madison Park has 230 parking
1:41:24 they're rarely near capacity
1:41:28 does present an opportunity for
1:41:30 a new solution to some of the
1:41:32 parking pain that's felt in the Birdtown neighborhood particularly
1:41:36 venues such as the Birdtown brewery
1:41:42 the Gold Coast you know that's certainly
1:41:44 as someone who lives in the southern
1:41:46 part of the ward I would need to prioritize
1:41:48 really spending a lot of time in the northern
1:41:52 residents and trying to learn
1:41:54 more I know that most of the
1:41:56 apartment buildings in the Gold Coast do you have
1:42:00 government per se but there
1:42:02 is actually a block club system
1:42:04 there are some block parties and some
1:42:08 events and sometimes there's leadership positions
1:42:12 I think what I've tried to immerse myself and
1:42:16 visit some of their public events they
1:42:18 host within their buildings
1:42:22 again put on my best listening hat and
1:42:24 be an active listener and try
1:42:26 to learn about some of their pain
1:42:30 realize it's a really densely populated neighborhood
1:42:32 it's a really unique neighborhood and I certainly
1:42:34 want to better immerse myself in
1:42:40 briefly to two other issues that
1:42:44 are important to me and these are
1:42:46 priorities that would be for me if I was
1:42:48 on council tree canopy replenishment
1:42:52 of Cogga County Lakewood has lost a considerable
1:42:54 portion of its tree canopy coverage
1:42:56 the last few decades as the trees
1:42:58 that were planted when our homes were originally built have aged
1:43:02 has a stated goal to increase tree canopy
1:43:04 coverage by 10% in the next 10 years
1:43:06 and that's why the Lakewood Tree
1:43:08 Giveaway Program is so important
1:43:10 because the city does a really great job of planning
1:43:12 on public spaces like tree lawns
1:43:16 meet our goal we need to really
1:43:18 have a considerably more effort at
1:43:20 private yard plannings and getting residents
1:43:22 motivated to plant in their own private
1:43:24 yards. You know trees improve
1:43:26 our quality of life in so many ways
1:43:28 and many of them are obvious. They clean our
1:43:30 air and water, cool our environment, reduce
1:43:32 flooding and erosion, lower energy
1:43:34 costs, increase property values
1:43:36 but some of the ways are less obvious.
1:43:38 For instance, studies have shown that
1:43:42 tree canopies such as Lark Avenue
1:43:50 their perception is the street is narrower
1:43:52 therefore they naturally slow down
1:43:54 and there's also studies that have linked
1:44:00 health and to lower crime rates
1:44:02 and so you know even if I were
1:44:04 to be appointed to work for council
1:44:06 person and no longer able to serve on the Tree Advisory
1:44:08 Education Board I would still
1:44:10 want to be really passionate about supporting our
1:44:12 tree canopy efforts. The other
1:44:14 issue I'll touch on briefly
1:44:18 Our vibrant small business community helps make
1:44:20 Lakewood special and especially here in
1:44:22 Ward 4. I come from a small business
1:44:24 family. My twin brother runs
1:44:26 a bicycle shop in Akron and I have the utmost
1:44:30 small business owners work. I'm
1:44:32 proud to be a member of the Bunts to Birdtown Merchant
1:44:34 Group through my work with Friends of Massum
1:44:36 Park and I've also worked closely with the
1:44:38 downtown Lakewood Business Alliance through
1:44:40 some of my Lakewood Alive experiences.
1:44:42 So if I were to be appointed I'd
1:44:44 look forward to working with fellow
1:44:46 council members and the city to increase
1:44:48 the level of support we provide our small business community
1:44:50 both city-wide and in Ward 4.
1:44:54 Thank you very much for your thoughtful interest and thanks also
1:44:56 for your service on the various boards
1:44:58 and commissions. It's quite a lot that you've done
1:45:02 already a significant amount of
1:45:04 personal time and family time that you've
1:45:06 invested in the city and I really
1:45:14 That was I thought one of the more creative things we've
1:45:18 recently. So thanks. Thank you.
1:45:26 we haven't touched on yet that you wanted to
1:45:28 make sure to tell us about your skills and
1:45:30 experience? If I could briefly share a story.
1:45:34 severe storm that ripped through our region
1:45:38 Madison Park like most of our city
1:45:40 was littered with downed trees and debris.
1:45:42 The city's public works and
1:45:44 forestry departments were understandably
1:45:46 overwhelmed. So they gave us at
1:45:48 Friends of Madison Park permission to stake
1:45:50 a leading tree that was salvageable and
1:45:52 to start cleaning up debris around the park.
1:45:54 And we had a nice handful of neighbors
1:45:56 kids and park community members who
1:45:58 assisted the city as a small mountain of
1:46:00 debris took shape in the south parking lot.
1:46:02 It was truly inspiring to see
1:46:04 so many neighbors come out and work together for this cause.
1:46:08 I went to check on the state of our community garden
1:46:10 and discovered that a squirrel had fallen into a
1:46:14 It was sad. It was also really
1:46:16 odorous in the August humidity.
1:46:18 And once again the park community stepped up.
1:46:20 A few neighbors helped lift and drain
1:46:22 the barrel. A park security guard
1:46:26 Thank goodness because that's not something that I
1:46:28 enjoy doing. And best yet another
1:46:30 found us barrel caps to prevent more
1:46:32 squirrels from having this similar fate.
1:46:34 This is the level of community and
1:46:36 teamwork I wish to foster in Ward 4.
1:46:38 When someone has a squirrel in their
1:46:40 proverbial rain barrel you want to help
1:46:42 remove it and help develop a solution
1:46:44 to prevent the problem from happening again.
1:46:50 Alright and then if you have
1:46:52 any other follow up questions from council members?
1:46:56 If you have a closing statement.
1:46:58 I just want to say thank you for
1:47:00 allowing me the opportunity to interview this evening.
1:47:02 I'd also like to thank council person Cindy
1:47:04 Marks for her many years of great service
1:47:06 to this community. Thank you
1:47:08 also to fellow applicants Pixie,
1:47:10 Jason and Sydney for being here
1:47:12 today. It takes courage and
1:47:14 dedication to pursue this role and we
1:47:16 are fortunate to have this caliber of
1:47:20 Finally thank you to my wife Felice for supporting
1:47:24 I believe my combination of
1:47:26 professional and volunteer experience has helped me develop
1:47:28 into a seasoned community builder
1:47:30 who is uniquely qualified to serve
1:47:32 Ward 4. But even if I'm not
1:47:34 selected as the next Ward 4 council person
1:47:36 I intend to stay firmly involved
1:47:38 in this community because doing so
1:47:42 Thank you and have a great night.
1:47:52 I just want to once again thank
1:47:56 applicants and members of the public
1:47:58 for taking time out of your evening to be
1:48:00 here with us as well. As well
1:48:02 as everyone who reached out to us
1:48:04 with their thoughts about the candidates
1:48:06 that helps inform our decision
1:48:08 as well. So since none of us
1:48:10 live in Ward 4 it's really helpful
1:48:12 particularly to have input from Ward 4
1:48:14 residents on that decision.
1:48:18 I'm going to be making a motion
1:48:20 momentarily to go into executive
1:48:24 for those who may not be familiar we're going to
1:48:26 go into the back room. You are
1:48:28 welcome to stay. You do not have to stay.
1:48:30 We will probably end up coming
1:48:34 and making a motion to fill in the
1:48:40 is entered into the resolution
1:48:44 to full council for adoption
1:48:46 at the next full council meeting which would be the
1:48:52 not happen but that is most likely what the plan
1:48:56 it won't affect our decision
1:48:58 one way or the other. If you stay candidates
1:49:02 you'll be notified either way.
1:49:04 Members of the public you're also welcome to
1:49:06 stay or not. Whatever you'd like to do.
1:49:12 a higher revised code section 121
1:49:16 to enter executive session for the purpose
1:49:18 of considering the appointment of a public official.
1:49:26 None. Alright we'll do a roll
1:49:32 Bullock? Yes. Strebig? Yes.
1:49:34 Hamilton Steiner? Yes. Alright we're going to
1:49:36 head back and I'll include in that council staff